Rec.Arts.Books.Childrens Frequently Asked Questions Document
First Posted 3 January 1997
Modified 23 February 1997
Welcome to rec.arts.books.children, a usenet newsgroup for discussion of
children's literature and related issues. The purpose of this FAQ is to
help readers and posters understand how the group works, what types of
questions and discussions are appropriate here, and also to catalog
information on common (i.e. "frequently asked") questions.
This document is posted weekly to RABC, misc.kids.info, misc.answers, and
news.answers. It is available on the internet at
http://www.cherryvalleybooks.com/RABC.htm
The function of the group is defined by its charter:
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The unmoderated newsgroup rec.arts.books.children will be open to
discussion of all aspects of children's literature. Topics for discussion
in the group will include, but not be limited to:
- book reviews
- authors
- discussion of issues raised by books
************************************************************************
Q: What is appropriate to post there? (Thank you for asking first!)
Appropriate and welcome postings include any question or query related to
the three charter issues. Discussion of literature, opinions of books,
favorite books, book suggestions for certain topics or age groups, book
awards, help with book IDs, and help with writing and publishing are
commonly discussed here.
Commercial postings: Recently, there has been controversy within the group
over postings of commercial "For Sale" notices, long dealer wanted-to-buy
lists (as opposed to an individual seeking a favorite book), web site
announcements, etc. On many days these postings outweigh the discussion of
literature, discouraging many frequent readers. It would be a shame to lose
a discussion group, which includes some well known writers and editors, to
a marketplace that no one but dealers will visit. Although the charter does
not exclude any topic, these types of postings are clearly not the main
focus of the group, and although not specifically disallowed, group
discussion indicates they are clearly unwanted by a large majority of
readers. If you choose to make these types of postings, you do so knowing
that you are going against the goodwill of most of the group. You figure
out whether or not that is good marketing practice. Some suggestions on how
and where to deal in the book business are included in this document.
Other Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the title, author, etc., of this book?
2. Is this book still in print?
3. How can I get information on an out of print book?
4. Can I post here about finding or selling dolls, toys, clothes, etc.?
5. How can I advertise books for sale?
6. Can I post a list of books that I want to buy in this newsgroup?
7. Where can I find reviews of children's books?
8. Are there other newsgroups related to children's books?
9. I've written or want to write/illustrate a children's book. How do I go
about writing/publishing it?
10. What other WWW resources are devoted to children's books?
11. Where can I find lists of award-winning books?
12. What order is the Narnia Series supposed to be in?
13. How many Oz books were there and what were they?
14. Which children's books have been banned in the USA and why?
15. How do I (or my class) write to/contact an author?
Q1: What is the title, author, etc., of this book?
Many people have a book read in childhood of which they can't remember the
title or author. Fortunately, there is an active body of children's book
readers, dealers, authors, and collectors in r.a.b.c. who may be able to
help. Also, ask at your local library first - don't waste that good
resource. The key to finding these lost treasures lies in describing them
as thoroughly as possible. Label your posting title clearly so that it
will be read - include ID or "need help with ID" in the titles. Start with
the obvious: theme, size, pages, illustrations, etc. Do you remember part
of the title or anything about the author? What year did you read it (it
won't be any newer than that)? Where did you read it (some books are
regional)? Was it part of a series? Every detail brings you one tiny step
closer to finding it, whether you simply enjoy the tremendous satisfaction
of simply remembering or you then initate a search for a copy to buy.=20
Q2: Is this book still in print?
Any independent bookstore, on or off the web, should be able to search the
books in print database for you. You can also see the printed version,
published annually, at your local library.=20
Q3: How can I get information on an out of print book?
Any good used bookseller can help you with this. The official (U.S.)
Books-Out-Of-Print database is now available on the web:
http://www.reedref.com/bowker/index.html
You will have to be assigned a user ID and password, but that is done at
the site and is free. You can search by author, title, subject, series, or
ISBN
Q4: Can I post here about finding or selling dolls, toys, clothes, etc.?
Unless there is a clear connection to children's literature/books, then no,
please don't include those posts here. The misc.kids hierarchy of groups is
an excellent place to _discuss_ (but not sell) toys, children's clothing,
and just about any other issue related to children that you can imagine.
Q5: How can I advertise books for sale?
In this newsgroup:
rec.arts.books.marketplace
On these web pages...
Advance Book Exchange http://www.abebooks.com
Interloc http://www.interloc.com
CompuServe Book Catalogs http://www.massmedia.com/~mikeb/
On this mailing list...
biblio@smartlinks.com
Some r.a.b.c. readers don't mind at all if you post an occasional list of
children's books for sale. And there are some people who do mind - in
fact, they mind quite a lot. The point where we all agree is that FS
listings should be limited (some say limited to once in a while, some say
limited unto extinction). The following guidelines have been suggested for
those who want to post books for sale in r.a.b.c.:
1. Only one FS post per person per week. You are always welcome to post as
many non-commercial on-topic messages as you like, but please limit your FS
posts to only one a week, and combine our list into a single post. Please
do NOT post individually for each book.
2. The subject of your post must begin with FS. This is so people who don't
want to see any FS posts can delete them by subject. Of course, you may
choose to not use FS in your subject so people will read your post anyway,
and you're absolutely right; they'll read your post - once. And you can be
sure they never will again, no matter what your post might be about.
Q6: Can I post a list of books that I want to buy in this newsgroup?
Yes, you can do this, but you should follow the guidelines for "For Sale"
posts: only one a week, and with the subject clearly marked with WTB, so
that readers who wish can use a filter to avoid reading your posts.
Q7: Where can I find reviews of children's books?
Your public library probably carries most of the major book reviews. The
Horn Book is a particularly valuable guide. Some online resources include:
A Look at Kids Books
http://www.kidsbks.com/
Book Nook
http://i-site.on.ca/booknook.html
Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site
http://www.crocker.com/~rebotis/
Cherry Valley Books
http://www.cherryvalleybooks.com/
Children's Literature
http://www.parentsplace.com/readroom/childnew/index.html
Connections Children's Book News
http://community.net/~ben_chun/bookafair/21.html
Midwest Book Review Children's BookWatch
http://www.execpc.com/%7Embr/bookwatch/cbw/#rc
Notes from the Windowsill Book Reviews
http://www.armory.com/~web/notes.html
rec.arts.book.reviews newsgroup (not limited to children's)
Steve Brock Book Reviews
http://ucsub.Colorado.EDU/~brock/
The Alan Review
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/alan-review.html
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
http://edfu.lis.uiuc.edu/puboff/bccb/
The Scoop
http://www.Friend.ly.Net/scoop/
Young Adult Reading
http://www.docker.com/~whiteheadm/yaread.html
Q8: Are there other newsgroups related to children's books?
Yes, some are discussion based, others are marketplaces -- as always, it is
recommended you read a newsgroup for one 1-3 weeks before posting, and when
possible read the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) file first.
alt.books.cs-lewisalt.books.nancy-drewalt.fan.poohrec.arts.books.childrensrec.arts.books.marketplace
rec.arts.books.tolkein
Q9: I've written or want to write/illustrate a children's book. How do I go
about writing/publishing it?
Check with your local library. They will have directories of publishers,
writing guides, and the most recent guide to the writing market.
Mailing lists and online newsletters
Children's Writing
To join, send e-mail to MAJORDOMO@LISTS.MINDSPRING.COM=20
with "subscribe childrens-writing" in the message body
@WRITERS is an online newsletter
To subscribe, send a message to majordomo@samurai.com with=20
the "subscribe a-writers" in the message body.
AQUANET is a discussion group for watercolor artists
To join/resign from the list, send a message to
majordomo@Traveller.com with any of the following requests=20
in the message body:
unsubscribe aquanet-list=20
subscribe aquanet-list
=20
World Wide Web pages:
A World of Pictures (for illustrators)
http://pages.prodigy.com/picbooks
Association of American Publishers
http://www.publishers.org
Bookwire Children's Publishers List
http://www.bookwire.com/index/Childrens-Publishers.html
Children's Book Council
http://www.cbcbooks.org/
Children's Book Publishers on the Net
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/publish.html
Children's Books and More by Harold Underdown
http://www.users.interport.net/~hdu/
Children's Writing Resource Centre:
http://www.mindspring.com/~cbi
Dan Poynter's site for help on self-publishing:
http://www.lh.com/para
How to Make Books
http://holly.colostate.edu/~sheilas/index.html
Inkspot
http://www.inkspot.com/~ohi/inkspot/
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
http://www.scbwi.org/
The Writer's Marketboard
http://rain-crow-publishing.com/market/net.html
Writer's Resources
http://www.authorlink.com
Publishers Catalog List
http://www.lights.com/publisher/
Q10: What other WWW resources are devoted to children's books?
General Information Sites, Newsletters, Reading Lists
Association for Library Service to Children
http://www.ala.org/alsc
Book Look
http://bcn.boulder.co.us/library/bpl/child/booklook/booklook.html
Bookwire List of Children's Booksellers
http://www.bookwire.com/index/Childrens-Booksellers.html
Children's Bestseller Lists
http://www.bookwire.com/pw/bsl/childrens/current.childrens.html
Children's Book Awards
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/awards.html
Children's Fiction
http://www.primenet.com/~callie/children.htm
Children's Literature: A Guide
http://www.unm.edu/~lhendr
Children's Literature Web Guide
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/index.html
Choosing a Child's Book
http://www.cbcbooks.org/choosing.html
Fairrosa Cyber Library of Children's Literature
http://www.users.interport.net/~fairrosa/
Girls & Boy's Series by Sharon Reid
http://members.aol.com/biblioholc/gseries.htmlhttp://members.aol.com/biblioholc/bseries.html
Good Books for Group Time
http://nsccux.sccd.ctc.edu/~eceprog/grpbook.html
Internet Public Library Youth Division and Teen Division
http://ipl.sils.umich.edu/youth/
http://www.ipl.org/teen/
Kids Web - Literature
http://www.npac.syr.edu/textbook/kidsweb/literature.html
Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov
Mister Rogers Neighborhood BookList
http://www.pbs.org:80/rogers/booklist.html
National Council for Social Studies Notable Children's Books
http://www.ncss.org/online/publications/booklist.html
OzKidz Australian Children's Literature Site
http://www.ipswichcity.qld.gov.au/ozkidz/ozlit.html
Reading Rainbow
http://www.pbs.org:80/readingrainbow/index.html
School Libraries on the Web
http://www.voicenet.com/~bertland/libs.html
The American Bookseller's Association
http://www.ambook.org/
The Book Trade
http://www.inforamp.net/~abrown/bookt.htm
The Storyreading Home Page
http://www.wco.com/~gailg/storyreading/
Tomorrow Magazine
http://kadima.com/tomorrow/
Vandergrift's Children's Literature Page
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/special/kay/childlit.html
Young Adult Literature
http://www.ct.net/~patem/yalit/
Educational Sites
Books About/For Children With Disabilities
http://www.math.ttu.edu/~dmettler/dlit.html
Getting Children to Read
http://www.cherryvalleybooks.com/readtips.htm
Literacy Engagement in Older Elementary Students
http://www.math.ttu.edu/~dmettler/liteng.html
The Canadian's Teacher-Librarian's Resource Pages
http://www.inforamp.net/~abrown/
Focus and Author Sites
Cherry Ames Page
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/3777/
Freddie the Pig!
http://www.outermost.com/freddy/index.html
Hardy Boys Home Page
http://members.aol.com/Hardyboy01/index.html
Jan Brett's Home Page
http://www.janbrett.com
Kyra's Goosebumps Page
http://www.teleport.com/~pazsaz/kyrapage.htm
Lewis Carroll Home Page
http://www.students.uiuc.edu/~jbirenba/carroll.html
Matthew Law's Goosebumps Home Page
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mlaw/Matthew/index.html
My Little House On The Prairie Home Page
http://www.vvv.com/~jenslegg/
Nancy Drew Home Page
http://sunsite.unc.edu/cheryb/nancy.drew/ktitle.html
The Author Corner
http://www.carr.lib.md.us/authco/home.htm
The Betsy-Tacy Home Page
http://virtuflex.com/homepages/navaho/Betsy-Tacy/
The Home Page of Anne of Green Gables
http://yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au/~frosty/anne.html
The Madeleine L'Engle WWW Resource
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/8838/
The Official Eric Carle Home Page
http://www.eric-carle.com
The Page at Pooh Corner
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jmilne/pooh.html
The Unofficial Happy Hollister Page
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1945/index.html
Tigger's 100-acre Wood
http://personal.solutions.net/evans/tigger.html
Winnie The Pooh - An Expotition
http://www.teleport.com/~pazsaz/kyrapage.htm
Winnie-The-Pooh's Page
http://www.penguin.com/usa/pooh/index.html
Wizard of Oz Web Site by Eric Gjovaag
http://www.eskimo.com/~tiktok/
Mailing Lists
Children's Literature
Send e-mail to majordomo@email.rutgers.edu with the message:
subscribe child_lit Your Name <youradrs@where.ever>
ALSC
listproc@ala.org
send message: subscribe alsc-l <your name>
Kidlit
listserv@bingvmb.cc.binghamton.edu
send message: subscribe kidlit-l <your name>
Q11: Where can I find lists of award-winning books?
Caldecott Winners
http://www.acs.ohio-state.edu/units/education/edmc/chld_lit/cldct_yr.htm
Comprehensive award list:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/%7edkbrown/awards.html
Q12: What order is the Narnia series supposed to be in?
The order that the series was written in is not the same as the order the
books are set in. Lewis himself suggested (in his book "Letters to
Children") that they be read in the order that they happen rather than the
order they were written. The two orders are given below:
Written Order:
1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
2. Prince Caspian
3. The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader"
4. The Silver Chair
5. The Horse and His Boy
6. The Magician's Nephew
7. The Last Battle
Order of Events:
1. The Magician's Nephew
2. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
3. The Horse and His Boy
4. Prince Caspian
5. The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader"
6. The Silver Chair
7. The Last Battle
Q13: How many Oz books were there and what were they?
<IWOC=3DInternational Wizard of Oz Club, DR=3DDel Rey, BoW=3DBooks of Wonder>
BY L. FRANK BAUM:
"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" (1900, BoW and many others, but look out for
adaptations)
"The Marvelous Land of Oz" (1904, BoW, DR, Dover, and a few others)
"The Third Book of Oz" (1986, Buckethead Enterprises of Oz)
"The Visitors from Oz" (1960, currently out of print)
"The Woggle-Bug Book" (1905, available as part of "The Third Book of Oz")
"Ozma of Oz" (1907, BoW, DR, Dover)
"Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz" (1908, BoW, DR, Dover)
"The Road to Oz" (1909, BoW, Dover, Del Rey)
"The Emerald City of Oz" (1910, BoW, Dover, Del Rey)
"The Little Wizard Stories of Oz (1913, BoW)
"The Patchwork Girl of Oz" (1913, BoW, Dover, Del Rey)
"Tik-Tok of Oz" (1914, Dover, Del Rey)
"The Scarecrow of Oz" (1915, Del Rey, IWOC)
"Rinkitink in Oz" (1916, Dover, Del Rey)
"The Lost Princess of Oz" (1917, Del Rey)
"The Tin Woodman of Oz" (1918, Del Rey)
"The Magic of Oz" (1919, Del Rey)
"Glinda of Oz" (1920, Del Rey)
In addition, these books by Baum have some of their characters later appear
in Oz books, or are otherwise connected with the Oz series in small ways:
"Dot and Tot of Merryland" (1901, BoW)
"The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" (1902, Dover and others)
"The Magical Monarch of Mo" (1903, may still be available from Dover)
"Queen Zixi of Ix" (1905, Dover)
"John Dough and the Cherub" (1906, probably currently out of print)
"The Sea Fairies" (1911, BoW)
"Sky Island" (1912, BoW)
BY RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON
[NOTE: Some of the Del Rey books, listed as being available from IWOC, may
also be available on a VERY limited basis from BoW.
"The Royal Book of Oz" (1921, DR/IWOC)
"Kabumpo in Oz" (1922, DR/IWOC)
"The Cowardly Lion of Oz (1923, DR/IWOC)
"Grampa in Oz" (1924, DR/IWOC)
"The Lost King of Oz" (1925, DR/IWOC)
"The Hungry Tiger of Oz" (1926, DR/IWOC)
"The Gnome King of Oz" (1927, DR/IWOC)
"The Giant Horse of Oz" (1928, DR/IWOC)
"Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz" (1929, DR/IWOC)
"The Yellow Knight of Oz" (1930, out of print)
"Pirates in Oz" (1931, out of print)
"The Purple Prince of Oz" (1932, out of print)
"Ojo in Oz" (1933, out of print)
"Speedy in Oz" (1934, IWOC)
"The Wishing Horse of Oz" (1935, IWOC)
"Captain Salt in Oz" (1936, IWOC)
"Handy Mandy in Oz" (1937, IWOC)
"The Silver Princess in Oz" (1938, IWOC)
"Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz" (1939, IWOC)
"Yankee in Oz" (1972, IWOC)
"The Enchanted Island of Oz" (1976, IWOC)
"The Cheerful Citizens of Oz" (1992 poetry collection, IWOC)
BY JOHN R. NEILL
"The Oz Toy-Book" (1915 art portfolio, IWOC)
"The Wonder City of Oz" (1940, BoW)
"The Scalawagons of Oz" (1941, BoW)
"Lucky Bucky in Oz" (1942, BoW)
"A Runaway in Oz" (1995, BoW)
BY JACK SNOW
"The Magical Mimics in Oz" (1946, IWOC, BoW)
"The Shaggy Man of Oz" (1949, IWOC, BoW)
"Who's Who in Oz" (1954, currently out of print but some copies may be
available from BoW and/or IWOC)
"A Murder in Oz" (1950's, Buckethead Enterprises of Oz)
BY RACHEL COSGROVE PAYES (formerly RACHEL R. COSGROVE)
"The Hidden Valley of Oz" (1951, BoW, IWOC)
"The Wicked Witch of Oz" (1993, IWOC)
BY ELOISE JARVIS McGRAW and LAUREN LYNN McGRAW
"Merry-Go-Round in Oz" (1963, BoW)
"The Forbidden Fountain of Oz" (1980, IWOC)
BY DICK MARTIN
"The Ozmapolitan of Oz" (1986, IWOC)
"Although it really does not deal much with Oz as we know it, I consider
Frank J. Baum's _Laughing Dragon of Oz_ enough of a curiosity (and a most
famous one) to warrant mention."
"RPT's _Captain Santa_ may belong in the closely related category;
debatable. Didn't she also write and "unfinished" tale that was included
in _Wizard of Way Up_? It's been a long time since I read that."
Q14: Which children's books have been banned in the USA and why?
Banned Books
http://www.cs.cmu.edu:8001/Web/People/spok/banned-books.html
Most Frequently Challenged Books of the 1990s
http://www.cs.cmu.edu:8001/Web/People/spok/most-banned.html
The File Room, a censorship site
http://fileroom.aaup.uic.edu/FileRoom/documents/homepage.html
Q15: How do I (or my class) write to/contact an author?
The simplest way is care of the publishing house. Most books contain the
address of the publishing house on the cover page. If a particular one does
not, you can look it up in a directory of publishers at your local library.
Ask the reference librarian for assistance if you need help finding
something. An increasingly common theme is for authors to have their own
official web pages, usually with a way to contac them. The HotBot search
engine (http://www.hotbot.com) allows you to search specifically for a
person.
This FAQ includes contributions large and small from...
Allegria <allegria@his.com>
Lauria Blackwell <lauria@erato.usask.ca>
Trevor Blake <box2321@teleport.com>
Beci Bolding <jmartin@usit.net>
K. Dazazel <utkgeog@utkux.utk.edu>
Julie Dickinson <jules@Eng.Sun.COM>
Fred Gilligan <fgillig@erols.com>
Eric Gjovaag <tiktok@eskimo.com>
Steve Ketcham <Steve_Ketcham@stratus.com>
Dorcas E. Metcalf <Dorcas_Metcalf@brown.edu>
Suzanne Price <truprice@aol.com>
Claire Speed <Claire.Speed@nessie.mcc.ac.uk>
Deborah Stevenson <stevenso@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu>
Anastasia Suen <forsuens@flash.net>
Marilyn Walker <marilyn@cherryvalleybooks.com>
(Apologies to any names unintentionally omitted from this list!)
This FAQ is a living document that depends on reader input to stay current.
It is maintained by Marilyn Walker (marilyn@cherryvalleybooks.com). Please
send comments or additions to her.
***************************************************************
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The BEST, not the BIGGEST http://www.cherryvalleybooks.com/
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mailto:custserv@cherryvalleybooks.com 303-543-8258
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The BEST, not the BIGGEST, BOOKSTORE on the web
Every Book Reviewed, Every Book Recommended
http://www.cherryvalleybooks.com/
mailto:custserv@cherryvalleybooks.com 303-543-8258
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